Cardinal Robert Sarah is a Guinean Catholic prelate, born in Ourous, a rural village in then French Guinea, in 1945. His known for his conservative and traditionalist stance within the Church.

He served as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 2014 to 2021 and was made a cardinal in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.

From 1969 to 1974 he studied at the  Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtained a  Licentiate in Theology, except for the year 1971 which he spent at the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum of Jerusalem, where he obtained a licentiate in Sacred Scriptures.

Sarah speaks  French, English, Spanish and Italian fluently.

Sarah is a vocal defender of traditional Catholic teachings on sexual morality. He opposes homosexuality, describing sexual relations between people of the same gender as “gravely sinful and harmful”

Sarah has opposed various attempts to provide legal recognition to gays and lesbians, often casting his remarks in terms of a defense of traditional Catholic and African values against contemporary secular Western culture.

On 28 January 2012, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, called on African nations to repeal laws that place sanctions on homosexual conduct.

Sarah called the speech “stupid”. When a journalist asked if Ban Ki-moon was “overstepping his responsibilities”, Sarah replied; “Sure, you cannot impose something stupid like that. Poor countries like Africa just accept it because it’s imposed upon them through money, through being tied to aid.”

He said that, “It’s not possible to impose on the poor this kind of European mentality,” and added that African bishops must react to this move against African culture.

He has criticized liberal approaches to LGBT issues within the Church and has rejected calls for the Church to be more accepting of same-sex relationships, emphasizing the duty of Catholics to uphold Church doctrine on these matters

At 79 years old, Sarah is eligible to be elected pope, as the age limit for cardinals voting in a conclave is 80. He has been considered “papabile” (a possible candidate for the papacy) by various international and African media and Catholic publications following the death of Pope Francis in April, 2025.

His conservative views, particularly on liturgy and doctrine, appeal to traditionalist factions within the Church, who see him as a potential return to the doctrinal rigor of popes like John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

However, his papal prospects have been complicated by past tensions with Pope Francis, especially over issues like priestly celibacy and liturgical practices.

Betting markets do currently place him among the front runners, but he retains a significant conservative following.

If he is elected the next pope, Sarah will be the first African pope in the catholic history.